Steering mechanism for motor vehicles



G. H. HANNUM. STEERING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1?, i921.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

wines J 92w 1 'fl d ned; as

were!) STATES 1i. 'gnivnum, or roivrriic, 'MrcHrsAN, ASSIGNOR 'ro GENERAL MOTORS conrona'rtolv; OF nE'rRoI'r, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

GEORGE em-Emma MEoHnNIsM non MOTOR VEHICLES.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

Application filed October 17, 1921. Serial No. 508,282.

T 0 all whom if may concern Be it known that I, GEc-nenH. HANNUM, a citizen of the U nitedstatesg and a resident of Pontiac, county of Oakland and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering Mechanism for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, cconcisep and exact description, sueh as will enable others skilled in gthe art to which theinvention relates to make "and use the same, reference being i made therein to the accompanyin E drawings, which form which is supported in suitable bearings-drill a part Of this spec' cation.

My inventionfivrelates to steering mechan ism for automobiles andsimilar self propolled vehiclespand particularly to steering mechanism of the general type or class to,

which United States Patents to l-Ii J. Hert', No, 980,636,January 3,i 1911, for steering apparatus for automobiles, and H. Marlee, No-,:1,189,985, July 4, l9l6,for ,steeringgear for mechanically, propelled vehicles relate; andwhereinmotion is communicated from a rotatable; steering shaft; to the link meehar adila and? ipheep y vs n f e whi h nethe purpose, for. which which .will not be likely to {i et out ofiorder iwllen in usaj it -bae fw iwf ith the above and vention in view my invention consists inithe improved steering mechanism illustrated in the apcon panying drawing and hereinafter described andyclaimed; and in such (variations and modifications thereof, within the scope of the concluding claims, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my invention relates.- p

eferring now to the drawing wherein the preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated Figure 1 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in side elevation showing my improved steering mechanism.

igure 2 is a view broken away in part to o h r objects ofi r;

better show certain features of internal constructions of my improved steering mechanism, the same being taken substantially upon planes indicated by the broken line 2 Z, Figure 1.

Figure is a view showing a section upon a plane indicated by the line3-3, Fig-i ure 2. i L

Referring :to the drawing, the reference numeral 5 designates a rotatable steering shaft having a steering wheel 6 loeated ad jacent its upper end and the lower end of order to permit the parts to be assembled and disassembled, as willqbe mppreoiwted. The shaft 12 extendstransverselymouthed steering shaft 5 and has a steering arnwlfii at one end thereof, the free end 115 of Whidh arm is connected with the rods -or llinlns through whichithe front wheels of theslvehicle are swung from side to side-as is usual" in motor vehicle steeriin-g mechanism. 6

Garried liy the oscillating shaft 12 and located within theficasing 9: is a supportingmemberi .16 whiolris shomvnas formed by 'ani enlarged central portion of thosaid shafta rand-this supporting member carriestwo set: arate bearing members 17, 17 which have-flat ribearingsur'faces of as large an area. as pr-aoticable both of which always contact with the operating peripheral surfaces of the cams 10, i

11. as illustrated in Figure 3. The cams which contact with the cams are of as great an area as practicable, to thereby increase thebe'at ing sitjlrface between the cams and the said mom em; and said members being 5 separate from the snppertin -member may be made of material Well a apted to resist wear thereby reducing the amount of lost motion which may devlopduring long use of the device. Said bearin members are preferably in the form of circular discs havingstems 18 which extend into parallel passages 19, 19provided in thesupporting member 16 from-which it follows that the bearingmembers are freeto rotate upon their *axes during the operation of the device, as theaetion of theperipheral surfaces of the cams uponthe'bearing members is such as to tend to rotate them slightl V upon their axes.

flit wi ltbei'appreciateii rem the premises 'thatirtleezsteerimghmeohani sm wherein my inventibn etmsists is simple in fol-m and one vQhidhi'may be steadily and cheapl ma nufact'ured! art-a mi1iimum of expense that the form of bearing members issuch "that they Willi be' sulijeiited flo little' wear 'yv hen the I deand that if-and *when said vice is m use; bedtirig mmnbevsbconie worn to such an extent as to'mesifitin objectionable looseness and lost motion the steering mechanism the-headwhich. marries the bearing 14 may be i'embwetlethe transverseshaft 12 also remcvedgaiid the worn beaming members removed tand new bearing members substitutedtheiefor, all at aminimu'm-of tronble gg ahd 'eccpenser I Having thus described and explained my in'vention,=T "claim and desire to secure by Letters iPatentt' lldrfn steering mechanism of the class de- 40 'scvibe d,r=a 'lnotatalble"steering shaft; two oplpbsitelfiy arranged cam members carried bj seiml shaftalnd lmated adjacent the lower end thereof; im oscifl lating shaft located adjacent said cams and extending trans- 5 wenseto'zsaid steezlng shaft; ja steering arm carried bysaid oscillating shaft; a supporting memlber carried by said oscillatin shaft; and' two bearing member'scarried iy said snpflortinig"member and having flat surfaces adapted to contact one with each of the cam member aforesa-i d'and which surfaces lie ina plane whihjs fixed relative tothe ms of said oscillating shaft.

In steering mechanism of the class described, a rotatable steering shaft; two oppositely arranged cam members carried by saidshaft an located adjacent the lower end thereof; an oscillating shaft located adjacent said cams and extending transverse to said steering shaft; a steer ng arm carried by said oscillatingshaftga supporting member carried by said oscillating shaft and having two :;parmllel passages spaced apart from one another and located one upon each side of the axis of said shaftgzlandgtwo bearing members each comprising; a disc adapted to contact,'respectively, with said cam members, and a shank extending into one of said passages.

3. In steering mechanism of the class described, a rotatable steering shaft; two oppositely arran ed cam members carried by said shaft an located adjacent they lower end thereof; an oscillating shaft located adjacent said cams and extending transverse to said steering shaft; a steering arm carried by said oscillating shaft su port i ng' member carried by saidoscillating shaft; and w freel rotatable beariiig' mnlber's carried by eai sip ertin' member'afi'clhaving flat bearing surfacesadttpte'd to Contact onewi'th each of'the camhiembers aforesaid, said bearing members being rotatable abtifit axes spaced apart from one another, ale" which axes extend transverse to said, es cillating shaft,

In steering mechanism ofnieelass dc scribed, an oscillating shait' avinga sup porting member provided Wit two parallel passages spaced apart and extending trans verse to, and located one upon each side "of the axis of said shaft;twobearinginenibeis carried by said suppoftingfnetnber and ha?- ing each a flat bearmgsurface, and a shank extending into one ofsai d assages; and

two rotatable me'mbets "ispdsedadjacent said shaft and with which surfaces aforesaid contact.

5. In steering mechanismof the blgg la scribed, a rotatable steeringshaift tt'tobp posi'tely arranged earn members 7 said shaft and loeatededjacent e lower end thereof; an oscillating she. wet er adjacent said verse to said steering shaft; members carried by said oscillating shaft and having flatsurfaces both ilyin in one and the same plane, and whines-rims are adapted to contact one witheachpf said can members; and means whereby oscillating motion of said oscillating shaft is oommlinicated to the wheels of a vehicle to thereby steer the same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE H. HANNUM,

the l carried 'by rema d extending trans? twe" bearing 

